Code Geass: Ad Libitum
by MKTerra
Summary: What if Lelouch had the foresight to have a personal Knightmare Frame commissioned for him WAY before his rise as Zero...? What if he helped develop it and was a better pilot as well...? Who knows...? ME! Retelling of Code geass from Shinjuku Ghetto....
1. Chapter 1

AN: MK here with his first Code Geass fanfic! WHOOOO! Science fiction, now THAT'S my territory… Hehehehe. I'll put those countless hours of playing the 'mech games to good use by utilizing the strategies I use in those in the story! Whooo!

ON a side note, does anyone know the origin of Geass? And no, I'm not talking in the anime. I'm talking in Celtic Mythology. No? Well, a Geass was a symbol that essentially gave immortality or superhuman powers in exchange for a code that the bearer had to follow. For example, Cu Chullain (koo-hoo-lin) could not eat meat, or else he'd become mortal again. That's how he died in the Mabinogion, I believe. He was tricked into eating meat by someone since it was courtesy to do so blah blah blah. I'm paraphrasing here, so feel free to look it up and chew me out if I'm wrong in the slightest. I probably am, but at least I started your thoughts, no?

Ok, on with my quips about the anime. How is Suzaku so much better at piloting a knightmare the very first time ever, when Lelouch had been piloting the Ganymede at Miss Silly Milly's crazy festivals for who knows how long? And who's to say that he couldn't have had training as a child? Personally, I don't think one has to be all that fit to pilot a knightmare with great proficiency… Though in order to survive ejection or obscene amounts of damage with good prospects of getting back up immediately after it might be recommended.

Now, story summary: What if Lelouch had seized the opportunity before he acquired Geass to commission and construct a personal KMF of his own? What if he was a better pilot? (Which I think will save his ass.) AND what if it was stored conveniently in a warehouse in the Shinjuku Ghetto where the whole thing started…? Well, for one thing, combat data, that's certain. Also, he could stick it to Suzaku for once in his goddamn life where he hasn't before. Knightmare Combat. The story starts after he hijacks the Sutherland and shortly after the Lancelot launches sortie…

Shinjuku Ghetto, Warehouse District

"_I need to get to 'it'…"_ A nervous Lelouch thought. _"They won't stand a chance in hell without it!"_

Lelouch was speeding towards a nearby warehouse where he had a special toy awaiting deployment. Sure, he could have waited to use it beforehand, but why let Clovis (and by extension, Britannia) keep the advantage that they did in the form of that white Knightmare? And even though it's only Fourth Generation, that's what upgrades and updates are for.

"It's come to this, then…" Lelouch stated to no one in particular as he pulled into the warehouse. In the center, was a knightmare covered in a cloth, hooked up to a gantry.

"Cu Chullain…" Lelouch said, proud of himself. He DID after all create the Scathach operating system that would allow him to rule the battlefield in the intelligence and communications department. And the thought of the main weapons system had him chuckle.

"Nothing will be able to survive a hit from a fully charged Gae Bolg salvo." Lelouch said, again, to no one in particular as he climbed the gantry to the machine, the cloth long having been hoisted out of the way by a switch he had pressed. It was an impressive looking machine, though slightly ungainly. It was white and black, with a large torso and large shoulders, and the back was extended farther than other KMFs. It's large torso housed enough electronics and computer hardware to put an espionage/ weather satellite to shame.

In the massive shoulders was where the Gae Bolg cannons had been installed, the particle intake fans located on the back of the left and right torsos respectively. The head was relatively low in profile, as it contained important sensors other than the standard factspheres that KMFs came with nowadays. Biosensors, Thermal Sensors, and Electromagnetic sensors to name a few.

The torso tapered of relatively sharply to a narrow set of hips, with slender legs, the landspinners safely hidden away within the three toed feet of the machine. While likely not as fast as the White Knightmare, it was fast enough to deal with Sutherlands and Gloucesters, and future upgrades will be able to fix that. Overall, the Cu Chullain was an intimidating machine, though deceptively agile when need be.

Lelouch had opened the cockpit hatch in the back, getting into the Knightmare. He idly noted how different the instrument clusters were in comparison to the Sutherland that he just got out of (i.e. the number of them). The Cu Chullain is a command center Knightmare, with emphasis on communications, radar, information retrieval, hacking, ally target assistance, (it can paint targets for other KMFs with the Scathach OS, and vice versa.) and a 3 Dimensional Dynamic Tactical Map.

Unfortunately, the knightmare was woefully underequipped for what it was about to do. The Chaladbolg blade was mounted in the right arm was not 100% completed, but would have to suffice, and the Gae Bolg hadn't been fired in real combat scenarios or on a large scale due to the need for secrecy, and are most effective in artillery mode; where the machine will root itself to one spot for stability, reconfigure it's arms and shoulders and finally charge up the lethal long range particle beams.

Lelouch could still fire the Gae Bolg in close combat mode, but there is a limited number of times they can be fired at a certain charge within a certain time, since the particle fans take a small time to recharge. That, and the heat generated by the weapon is astronomical.

The slash harkens were ready to go, and he could just grab the gun that the Sutherland he rode in with has and start rolling off. The Vulcan that was built into the left wrist will likely not be effective against any heavily armored targets, but still nice to have sitting there, nonetheless.

Lelouch entered in the passcode, and started flipping the switches to turn on the Hound of Chullain (That's what Cu Chullain means) to nip at his brother's heels, or better yet, rip him to shreds. It had not yet been tested in real combat scenarios before, and even the tests that had been performed were small scale.

"Well, there's no time like now." Lelouch said, flicking the switch to open the warehouse doors. He put on his headset and looked through the IFF signatures that were still left on his side. Lelouch had already input all of the Sutherland's data while powering up, so this was no problem for the Scathach OS to do. "All survivors! Report!"

"Ka—Q1 reporting…! Where the hell have you been? We're being slaughtered by that thing!" A spunky female voice answered. "We've managed to go into hiding from that white monster, but NOW we can't escape!"

"Do not worry. I have retrieved my trump card for this situation. This will be it's first test. Do you see my IFF in the warehouse district?" Lelouch said. 1 mile away, in her red Glasgow, Kallen nodded. "That is me. Please do not move or make yourselves known in any way unless I order to do so. Understood?"

"Uh… Yeah, sure." Kallen answered, unsure. The other members of the resistance were reluctant to totally agree, but did so anyways. The voice that had almost totally ensured their victory up until this point hadn't been wrong until that white knightmare had shown up, and if he says he can do something about it, why not take that chance anyway?

Lelouch in the Cu Chullain stepped out of the warehouse, testing the radar and the DTM to see how quickly it would gather the data from the map. The sensors were also picking up everything from ambient temperature, Bariatric pressure, wind speed and direction, ambient light, atmospheric density fluctuations, to even humidity. Satisfied, Lelouch activated the landspinners and went for the nearest Sutherland on the radar.

Clovis' forces

"This is Geoffrey Squad. All cl--- wait, what is _that_?" A Sutherland pilot yelled over radio, upon seeing the unfamiliar frame approaching at high speed. "I can't hold it—UWAAAAGH!"

"Bartley, what just happened?" Clovis demanded. "All the opposing forces are either in hiding or destroyed! And I _know_ for a fact that Lloyd's toy is not responsible!"

"I-I have no idea, y-your highness…" The fat, bald general Bartley stammered. "It isn't even showing up on any IFF channels…"

"Hmph. Almost as if it doesn't exist…?" Clovis concluded.

"Yes, your highness."

"Show me the camera feed, if there is any." Clovis ordered.

"Right away, Prince Clovis." Bartley scrounged the visual data that could be recovered in time, whilst Clovis looked on in his standard pose when he is bored/ waiting for an answer. Eventually, whilst more of Clovis' forces were dropping like flies, Bartley stumbled on a video that had a glimpse of the mystery assailant. Clovis immediately dropped his glass in shock.

"Th-there's no way… It can't be…!" He shouted, standing up. "I recognize that frame!"

"What?" Was Bartley's eloquent reply.

"That's my little brother's Knightmare! He was designing it, but then…" Clovis trailed off sadly.

"I have no idea HOW it came into their hands, but I will not allow Lelouch's memory be treated like that! Lloyd!" Clovis yelled in rage.

"Yeeeees, your highness….?" Lloyd responded.

"Order your Lancelot pilot to destroy that… That… Abomination!" Clovis ordered hysterically.

"Right away, your highness!" He answered cheerfully, before running off. "Ohhhh, Suuuzaaakuuu!"

"I want video feed on the battle, Bartley!" Bartley had no choice but to comply, his prince having since long ago lost his composure.

"Hm… I believe I'm doing quite well with these Sutherlands, even though technically they are the same generation…" Lelouch said, proud of his design. Then he noticed a blip on his radar moving in his direction quickly. "Well, it's do or die time, I suppose!"

The Cu Chullain's shoulders opened up a small bit, and the fans on the back whirled faster, drawing in a luminescent white-blue cloud of particles. Figuring that should do, he popped off a blast from the twin Particle Cannons. Two streams of the same colored light as the particles flew in the direction of the charging Lancelot at extremely high speed. Suzaku was taken by surprise, as he was just going in a random direction looking for the unknown KMF, and because of that, was unable to dodge. The shot from the right shoulder missed completely, but the left one nailed the Lancelot's left forearm dead on, disintegrating the outer shell and some of the internal mechanisms, effectively crippling that arm.

"What the hell?" Suzaku exclaimed.

"NOOOOOO! IT HURT MY PRECIOUS LANCELOT!" Lloyd cried in despair. "SUZAKU! KICK IT'S ASS!"

Clovis was in a different state of thought altogether…

"That was… The Gae Bolg…!" He realized after a moment. "Not only was the apprearance stolen… But it seems the weapon _schematics_ were as well!"

"Eh…? What's the Gae Bolg?" Lloyd asked, curiosity piqued.

"It was a weapons system designed by my little brother, Lelouch." Clovis explained, sighing. "It utilizes charged air particles that have been agitated and released in semi-stable blasts. Because of the fact that it uses matter to fire, those shots have mass…"

"Hm… Interesting… Maybe I should look into that sometime." The crazy scientist mused.

"No need. I'll have to create a charged particle generator for you when this is over." Clovis waved off. "Lelouch demonstrated the concept for me on a small scale when he was 10, a few weeks before…"

"Lloyd! I'm having problems down here!" Came Suzaku's voice through radio.

"Hah. You're quite skilled, but apparently have little KMF experience…" Lelouch said to himself. The Cu Chullain slid out of the way of a slash harken from the Lancelot, returning fire with the left wrist mounted Vulcan, shots bouncing off of Lancelot's plating. Suzaku returned fire with a rifle he managed to snag near a downed Sutherland. Even with the Lancelot's superior speed, the Cu Chullain managed to slide through the rounds heading its direction in a serpentine path, leaning when necessary. Even though the rounds wouldn't do much thanks to Cu Chullain's superior armor, he still didn't want to have any unneeded damage sustained.

"What's with this guy? I can't keep up!" Suzaku growled, clearly frustrated. "I know Lancelot is superior, but this guy is way out of my league as a pilot!"

The Cu Chullain's Chaladbolg popped into place, glowing the same color as the charged particles from the Gae Bolg, and using a move that his mother would be proud of, Lelouch dodged every shot, strike, and made the lunge….

"PRIVATE KURURUGI! DUCK TO YOUR RIGHT IMMEDIATELY!" Came the urgent voice of Clovis. To be honest, everyone was surprised at the Prince's outburst, but Suzaku obeyed on impulse. Watching from the command ship, Clovis' mind was in full gear. Suzaku dodged the lunge with few feet to spare, the Chaladbolg having completely severed the Lancelot's already crippled left arm from the elbow down.

"Now, Private Kururugi, retreat immediately! There is nothing to gain from this battle anymore! All other units, retreat as well! We are leaving!" Clovis announced.

"B-b-b-but Prince Clovis…" Bartley stammered, aghast.

"I should have seen it before. I thought those moves looked familiar…" Right then, the video phone notification next to Clovis rang. Clovis _knew_ who it was. "All of you, please leave this room. This is a conversation I need to have alone."

Though confused, Clovis' subordinates and the ever-loving Earl of Pudding filed out of the command center, leaving the blonde man alone. Seeing that everyone was gone and the room was totally secure, he brought the call up on screen.

"Hello, Lelouch." He said simply.

"Hello, big brother. However did you know it was me…?" Lelouch asked innocently.

"Your moves. Commanding AND piloting." Clovis answered. "You always did beat me at chess and Knightmare duels…"

"That's true, brother. And it seems the tradition continues, no?"

"Where have you been…? We all thought you were dead! Euphie, Cornelia, Odysseus, Schneizel, and I were struck with grief!" Clovis asked, a tear forming at the corner of his eye. "Why?"

"Britannia will fall, brother. Father--- no, that _Man_ will pay for his crimes…" Lelouch answered venomously. "And while I'm glad you and the others actually cared, it matters little."

"How is Nunnally…?" Clovis asked, changing the subject.

"The same. Just as innocent as ever. I can never lie to her smiling face…" Lelouch answered. "How are the advisors doing, making your life difficult?"

"An _excellent_ job…" Clovis sneered. Just the thought of those manipulating bastards made him want to strangle someone. "I suppose you are going to kill me now, since I know your identity. You could easily do it with the Gae Bolg."

"No." Lelouch said. "I won't. Doing something like that would make me like our father, and I _refuse_ to be like him."

"So, what are we going to do then…? Perhaps a chess match? Or I could see Nunnally…?"

"Perhaps… However, you must not tell our brothers and sisters, or _anyone_ for that matter of our survival." Clovis sighed in defeat. He _really_ did want to see the faces of Euphie, Cornelia and Odysseus when they found out that their favorite siblings were still alive. Well, Odysseus was a kind man in general who loved his family regardless of their traits and would be happy to see them survive, even if they were despicable children, but that's despite the point.

"Agreed." Clovis said. "Will you at least tell Euphie or Cornelia if they come out here? And what about Jeremiah? He was absolutely dedicated to your mother… Still is, in fact. If he knew that you were alive, I'm sure he would have no problem swearing allegiance to you, and he would probably quit that blasted purist faction of his."

"Where is he? Please bring him in." Clovis smiled a little, and reached for the personal phone.

"Please send Jeremiah Gottwald to the command center immediately." He ordered. A few minutes passed, the two exchanging pleasantries. Then came Jeremiah's knock and voice. Clovis ushered the confused margrave in quickly.

"It's been a while, Jeremiah."

"Th-that… My lord!" Jeremiah exclaimed, immediately bowing. "I'm so glad to hear that you are alive! Is Nunnally alive?"

"Yes she is, however she is blind and paraplegic."

"While that is a pity, I'm so relieved that both of you are alive!"

"Jeremiah, you realize what is going on in this room stays here, do you not?" Clovis asked sternly.

"Of course, your highness!"

"Excellent, you are dismissed for the time being. We will work out an appropriate time for you to visit little Nunnally in the future. I'm sure she'd be glad to see you again."

"That would be fantastic, your highness!" Jeremiah exclaimed with glee not hidden in his face. He saluted the two princes and took his leave quickly.

"Now, Lelouch..." Clovis started. "What of the terrorists...?"

"Oh, them? I sent them home shortly before I sent my little howdy-do..."

AND cut! This ends the first chapter of Code Geass: Ad Libitum!

Oh, and if you like this story, check out my original story, Scion's Grimoire. You can find it most easily through my profile. For an example of the main protagonist and antagonist, check my Avi. I draweded it mahself! XD

Well, read and review! The more reviews I get, the better my morale! The better my morale, the sooner I can whip out a chapter! Booyakashah!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to all who reviewed my first chapter! I'm amazed at the positive reception I received! I hope all of you keep reading this story!

In between this chapter and the last, things more or less go by canon, minus Suzaku being rescued, Orange-boy being nicknamed Orange-boy, the like. This leads to Zero NOT being born, since Lelouch had no reason to create him… Yet… I won't say anything else about it, so don't ask!

Also, this chapter is shorter than the first. It's more of a prequel to the next. It also adds some fun to Lelouch screwing with Britannia. You'll see.

Chapter 2

_North Africa, Britannian Base at Morocco_

Major Normand Caldwell was a cautious man; being a commander in the Britannian army meant that you had to be, to some extent. But when Schniezel presented the opportunity to live test some new KMFs, he was excited beyond comprehension. _Him_. _He_ got to put some new KMFs to the test in real battle. Whatever he did to deserve the honor was lost on the middle aged man however when he met the representative of the Ulster Project...

"Aye, so yer the man that's gonna be testing them out?"

"Yes I am, Mr. McKinley; and I must say I'm looking forward to seeing these new frames…" Caldwell said to the red-haired Irishman in glasses. "Because I would hope that Prince Clovis' funding went towards an excellent project and not a reject pile of excrement…"

"Eh, shut yer gop." Jonathan McKinley snapped. "I'm pretty sure that yer gonna enjoy yerself. Let's go."

Nodding, the Major followed the gruff man to the KMF hangar where the KMFs were stored. On seeing them, he cocked his head to the side. Lined up were 8 frames, painted in the typical colors of Prince Clovis, white with blue stripes.

"The bigger ones are the UPKF-01 Cu Chullain, and the smaller ones are the UPKF-02 Setanta." McKinley announced, gesturing dramatically to the lined up frames. "Ya get four of each, and all of em have the same default equipment, but each has their own modular configurations."

"Pardon me, but what do you mean by 'modular' configurations?" Caldwell asked.

"Of course. All the KMFs from the Ulster Project have one or two slots open on their backs for mounting weapons or special doohickeys, like enhanced sensors or targeting." McKinley explains. "The Cu Chullains are mainly for long range combat, so UPKF-01-0001 and 0002 have a Dual Fragarach 120 mm Linear Cannon mounted on their backs. UPKF-01-0003 and 0004 have dual linked Missile pods."

"Hm. Interesting. What of the Setanta?" Caldwell asked.

"The UPKF-02 Setanta is quite a tad quicker than those other beasts that I mentioned, and are usually used in squads with a Cu Chullain commander off somewhere else." McKinley elucidates. "Setanta only have one slot available for modular equipment, due ta size and balance issues. 0001 has a Missile Pod, 0002 has a Fragarach 20mm AA Rotary Gun, 0003 has a Target Beacon Launcher, and 0004 has a Grenade Launcher."

"What about hand weapons?"

"We're still developing the Fragarach Rifle, so ya just have ta settle for what the Sutherlands 'n Gloucesters are usin'." McKinley admits. "The Ulster Project KMFs will support all hand based equipment used by other KMFs."

"Okay then, who's going to pilot what…?"

"Oh sod it! I don't give a flyin' fuck! Yer the commandin' officer!" McKinley shouted, his people skills having since long ago run out. "I need ta make a damn phone call!"

Caldwell stared at the fuming scientist as he left for his room. After he could no longer hear swearing, he looked up at the eight Knightmare Frames lined up like giant sentinels, awaiting their orders to blow things to smithereens. Caldwell bit his lip and furrowed his brow before pulling out a clipboard of possible candidates to run the sorties in the Ulster Project frames.

Seeing that the room was locked and secure, McKinley dialed the number on the video phone. Prince Clovis answered, appearing on the screen.

"Well Lelouch…? How is it going so far?" Clovis asked with a smirk.

"Smoothly." 'McKinley' answered, pulling his red wig off, revealing black hair. "If I wasn't doing this, I should have been an actor." Clovis chuckled.

"Yes, you did always have talent for that sort of thing. A shame you never acted in one of my productions." Clovis said. "By the way, how long have you been able to do that Irish accent of yours? It's quite good."

"Hm… I have no idea." Lelouch shrugged. "I always did it when Milly asked me to, so likely before I attended Ashford Academy."

It was silent for a minute, before Clovis spoke up again.

"Why are you giving your knightmares to Britannia?" Clovis asked, frowning. "It doesn't make sense to me. I funded the development and manufacture of them for you, but I'm confused as to what you're doing with them."

"I don't blame you for that." Lelouch smirked. "But I need real combat data from them, and besides; I know every weakness to the OS, so with but a simple command from me, the machines will do any number of things that I want, from self destructing to a dramatic face plant. There's also the little fact that we'll be taking them back once the testing is over anyway so there's no need to fret, brother."

"Did you remember to mention that you also brought along the prototype to test alongside the other ones, and that you'd be piloting it...?"

"No, I remembered. I simply chose not to tell him." Lelouch smirked. "I think it would be much more entertaining to see his reaction that 'Jonathan McKinley' will be fighting in the battles while he's in possession of the Ulster Project Knightmare Frames."

"You are vindictive, little brother." Clovis sighed. "Before I go, make sure you don't get yourself killed. I don't want to tell Cornelia that I found you only to send you off to your death."

"Hah! I don't think she'd be all that happy to hear that." Lelouch chuckled. He then donned his disguise as McKinley once more. "Well, I think I should let the hoity-toity bastard know what I'm gonna do. Ya think, bro?"

"That's creepy, Lelouch. But, get on with it. Clovis La Britannia signing off. Don't die, Lelouch."

"Don't worry yer permed curls off, ya blonde turd. I can handle myself." McKinley snorted. Clovis rolled his eyes in resignation and cut the feed.

KMF Hangar, 10 Minutes later.

Caldwell was looking over the Knightmares with glee... Examining all nine of them... Wait, Nine?

"Say what? When the hell did this get here!" Caldwell shouted. McKinley decided it was time to make a creepy appearance and spoke to the man loudly from behind.

"Oh, I forgot... I'm gonna be piloting that ninth beast there!" McKinley beamed. "It's a higher performance model than the other four Cu Chullains that I hauled in. It'll be testing equipment in live battle, such as the Fragarach Rifle and Bounce units."

"Fragarach Rifle? Didn't you say it wasn't finished?" Caldwell asked.

"I did. We're testin' it." McKinley shrugs. "It works, just not sure how reliable the thing is. The boss figured a good reliability test would be to chuck the fucker in a sandbox and see what happens when the trigger is pulled."

"Wow, that's... Direct." Caldwell admitted.

"Aye. The boss wants things to be tested for what they're gonna be used for, and the environment is one things not all KMFs are configured for." McKinley explained. "Don't worry, I'll be followin' yer orders out there. I wouldn't be able to do this iffin' I wasn't, now could I...?"

"Right... I guess." Caldwell said, giving up, as he scratched his head. "We'll be deploying soon, so I expect this beast ready to launch then."

"Aye, not a problem." McKinley saluted, watching as the major walked off. McKinley then looked up at his favorite KMF and smirked. "Well, I think it's time for the hound to begin the hunt..."

AAAAAND CUT!

Thats all for now, peeps. Please read and review! Also, check out my original story, Scion's Grimoire! It's the one under Mythology on my profile! Please read and review that as well! OUT!


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Okeydokey, folks. This here is gonna be the third chapter of Code Geass: Ad Libitum. Well, someone had asked me who Lelouch commisioned his frame from. So, I'll answer this for everyone: He didn't. The Cu Chullain prototype was something he built on his own over the years, with the Ganymede schematics to help him with basic KMF design. Also, this same person asked how the Cu Chullain with it's "slender" legs could keep up with the Lancelot, which is obviously a superior machine. Here's the dealio: Lelouch is piloting a KMF that he has been testing repeatedly over the years and also has much previous KMF piloting experience (in my story) in comparison to Suzaku; who is obviously talented, but has little actual experience in battle, let alone with an experimental machine such as the Lancelot. So, in all actuality, Lelouch is keeping up with the Lancelot, not the Cu Chullain keeping up with the Lancelot.

Also, the Cu Chullain is a larger machine than the Lancelot. It's smaller than the Gawain, but bigger than the Lancelot, so it's legs being slender is relative. For the machine's large upper body, the legs look somewhat puny, but are more than sufficient for the frame.

Okay, now it's time for the basic spec comparisons for the currently active original frames in Ad Libitum!

UPKF-0000 Cu Chullain (prototype)

Built in weapons loadout:

Gae Bolg Heavy Particle Cannons (Both shoulders)

Chaladbolg Particle Blade (Mounted in Right Forearm)

30mm Autocannon (Mounted on Left Forearm)

Slash Harkens (Two, mounted on Center Torso)

Okay, now comparing specs: Will use KMFS from all episodes for comparison

Armor: Equal to Gawain

Speed: Equal to Gloucester

Agility: Equal to Gloucester

Max Firepower: Greater than Gawain or Shinkirou (without modular equipment)

Close Range Capabilities: Equal to Sutherland

Medium Range Capabilites: Equal to Sutherland

Long Range Capabilities: Equal to Gawain

UPKF-0001 Cu Chullain (5th Generation mass Production)

Built in weapons loadout:

Gae Bolg Heavy Particle Cannons (Both shoulders)

Combat Blade (Mounted in Right Forearm)

Slash Harkens (Two, mounted on Center Torso)

Armor: Equal to Gawain

Speed: Slow, comparable to Panzer Hummel

Agility: Equal to Panzer Hummel

Max Firepower: Greater than Gawain or Shinkirou (without additional equipment)

Close Range Capabilities: Lower than Glasgow

Medium Range Capabilities: Equal to Sutherland

Long Range Capabilities: Equal to Gawain

UPKF-0002 Setanta (5th Generation mass Production)

Built in weapons loadout:

Chaladbolg Particle Blade (Mounted in Right Forearm)

Slash Harkens (Two, mounted on Center Torso)

Armor: Equal to Sutherland

Speed: Equal to Gloucester

Agility: Equal to Gloucester

Max Firepower: Equal to Sutherland (without modular equipment)

Close Range Capabilities: Equal to Gloucester

Medium Range Capabilities: Greater than Sutherland

Long Range Capabilities: Equal to Sutherland

Chapter 3

_Near Tripoli, NAL_

"So, are you ready to deploy, McKinley?" Major Caldwell asked over the radio. "The others have already given their green lights to deploy, and are being launched in two separate squads of four, as per what you suggested."

"Aye, I'm ready! Let's kick some ass, eh?" McKinley answered back. "Nice to see that yer followin' my advice as well!"

"I'd rather not get any more surprises, so I'm just going to listen to whatever you say now..." Caldwell muttered, forgetting the radio was on.

"Heh, no worries." The radio crackled out. "Ya know pretty much everything ya need, so let's get these tests going!"

_Insertion point: Approx. Eighteen miles away from area of target operations_

"So, McKinley, what do we need to know about these machines?" One of the chosen pilots for the Ulster Project KMFs asked. "Other than what we already were informed, of course."

"Nah." McKinley shot back. "All ya need to know is that the land spinners are very well suited for different kinds of terrain, like the desert here."

"Ok, how does it compare to what we normally have...?" Another pilot asked.

"Well, they'll handle better than those Sutherlands or Gloucesters in the sand, mud, snow, or ice." McKinley informed. "Alright, I'm going to run my solo mission, while you lot are gonna do what you were supposed to."

"Aye aye!" All of them responded, before engaging land spinners and initiating the mission. McKinley turned off the radio and sat back in his seat and cracking his knuckles. He then initialized the SCATHACH system and ran some programs to link up with the other machines to form the network that he designed the machines to run under. Soon, the status display showed the eight other KMFs, as well as their coordinates, headings, and everything else. This information, including sensor readouts are shared between the units in order to get a complete battlefield readout. This includes map data and enemy data. McKinley smiled and leaned forward into his seat, ready to start his part of the operation.

"Okay, I have to destroy the Panzer Hummel factory in this sector of this city, while the the two squads are to take out the other factories in Tripoli..." McKinley mused aloud to himself. "I shouldn't use the Gae Bolg cannons too much here, or they'll overheat... And don't trash the Fragarach Rifle. Too much."

Nodding to himself, Lelouch, as McKinley, engaged his landspinners and sped off in the direction of the first nav point. Midway there, the combo sensors (sonar, heat, radiation, etc) picked up a small squad of Panzer Hummels (3), as well as two Panzerfaust MkIII MBTs. He 't running any IFF signatures, and neither were his UPKF allies in order to maintain stealth. What was nice though was that they knew exactly where each other was...

Lelouch rolled up towards a bluff and used his fact spheres to gain visual information on the targets, as well as running the long range diagnostics sensors to figure out their armament, etc. Satisfied with the data for now, Lelouch peeked his Fragarach rifle out in the open, took aim at a Panzerfaust and opened fire. Taken completely by surprise, the Anti-Knightmare Vehicle had no chance to retaliate before being shredded by the linear rounds. The others were alerted, however, at their comrade's demise.

Lelouch smirked before engaging the landspinners again at full speed, strafing to his right, unleashing a volley of Fragarach rounds on the shaken mechanized force, striking several of them in random locations. One of the Panzer Hummels ejected, and another fell forwards due to being struck in the leg joints, causing the actuators to fail. The pilot was likely knocked out, and unable to eject. Lelouch decided to mark the fallen Knightmares for capture. Though outdated, they would provide some decent data, especially on the damage caused by the Fragarach.

Not sparing any more glances than necessary, Lelouch ran the particle fans in preparation to fire the Gae Bolg, while strafing the 120mm cannon fire from the Panzer Hummel that was left and the AKV 200mm SABOT rounds. Getting hit by the tank would likely result in a massive armor breach, damaging the sensor and computer equipment in the torso, despite the Cu Chullain's impressive armor. If a limb was struck, Lelouch would have to manage without it since it would likely be gone.

Lelouch skid backwards as a SABOT round impacted the sand where he was, creating a large cloud of dust. Lelouch took that opportunity from the lapse in fire to open up the shoulders and fire a salvo from the Gae Bolg cannons at the tank. The tank was struck with the white-blue semi-solid energy blasts, and exploded violently, killing the crew and making the nearby PH stumble from the shockwave. Capitalizing on the further opportunity, Lelouch activated the prototype modular thrusters and shot forward on his landspinners, and bisected the Armored Bumblebee at the waist with the Chaladbolg.

"Heh. The thrusters worked like a charm..." Lelouch mused. "I won't be able to fly with them, but I will be able to move even more quickly on the ground for a limited time..."

Lelouch also figured that he could use them to vault over walls or even slow down his descent from a dangerously high place. Perhaps he could come up with a detachable thruster unit that could allow aerial insertions...? Regardless, now was not the time to ponder such things, as he had a mission to complete, whether he was going to destroy Britannia or not afterwards. Deciding on a leisurely pace to conserve the energy filler, he rolled along the path that he had programmed into the computer before the mission, deciding to check in on the other UPKFs. Slipping back into the McKinley persona, he opened the comm lines between the SCATHACH machines.

"Oi! Nav point clear. Movin' on to the next one." He grumbled. "How are ya guys doin' out there? Are the Ulster frames treatin' ya good?"

"Hahahah. I'll admit that when you said that it would handle more easily than a Sutherland, I was sceptical, but now I see you knew what you were talking about!" Setanta-0001 chuckled. "I'll take this machine over a Sutherland any day!"

"Aye, that's good to hear." McKinley nodded. "Alright, how 'bout the Hounds?"

"We've been mainly using them as heavy artillery pieces, as well as enhanced sensor units for the Setanta frames ahead of us, since the Cu Chullains are fairly slow." The pilot of Hound-0001 said. "That said, their response times are quick. They're agile, just lacking in top speed. Given that the weapons installed are primarily for blowing anything in sight to smithereens, I'll concede that a high top speed is not necessary, especially when the hounds can paint a target for a Setanta from over two miles away from a satellite link-up."

"Good. That's how they're supposed to work." McKinley announced. "The Ulster KMFs are designed to work together as cohesive units; though the balance is skewed here. 

"The balance is skewed...?" A hound pilot asked. "It seems fine to me."

"Normally the squads are four Setanta to two Cu Chullain, with a Cu Chullain Mac Tir or Setanta Mac Tir as the command unit."

"Huh. Where are the Mac Tir units, then?" A setanta pilot asked. "They would have been fun to test out."

"Aye, that they would. However, they are still in development, and the Cu Chullain Mac Tir will be mostly based on the hound I'm pilotin'." McKinley said, listening to enemy radio chatter, having hacked into their signal at the start of the communication. "They're ace units like this one, so they require a lot fancier stuff to keep em workin' well."

"I guess... Well, this nav point is clear." Setanta-0001 announced. "We're moving along... Hope to see you at work, McKinley!"

"I forgot to ask about the damage report." McKinley admitted. "So, report away."

"Um, Alpha squad has taken no damage, sir." Setanta-0001 said. "We managed to take down all targets before they knew what hit them. I like how the sensors work. Keeps us hidden from the enemy while as obvious as a pink barn to our allies!"

"Hah! Nice analogy, I'll keep that one in mind for later." McKinley mused. "Beta?"

"Same story here, sir." Hound-0003 reported. "We manage to take them out with impunity before they even realize were there, despite being large white objects standing on red-brown sand and dirt..."

"Excellent. Omega has sustained no damage, though I'm pretty sure I got sand in me boots..." McKinley joked. "Took down five targets and movin' along to the next nav point. I'm cuttin' the line now, so radio silence is in order, got that?"

"AYE AYE!" They responded in unison. After cutting the line, Lelouch slipped out of his McKinley persona, and started laughing madly.

"This is going perfectly... When all is said and done, Britannia won't know what hit them...!"

TBC

Ok, read and review folks!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry it's been so long, folks! My laptop has a broken screen, and not being able to see what the hell you're doing makes it really hard to type… Anyway, here's the next chapter of Ad Libitum! This will hopefully answer a few of the questions that some of you have been asking, so… Yeah.

Ad Libitum: Chapter 4

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**Ulster Project MCC, North Africa**

"Yeah Nunally, I'm doing fine." Lelouch says into the phone.

"That's good to hear big brother, I miss you…" Nunally answered. "How is the chess tournament going…?"

"I haven't been defeated yet."

"That's good. Schneizel won't be there, will he…?" Nunally asked. Lelouch frowned.

"This is too low key for him, and he's busy in the EU at this time, so I don't need to worry about being discovered…"

"_Knowing Schneizel though, he would hide my existence as well… Not for free though."_

"Nuna, shouldn't you be in bed by now? It's morning right now in South Africa, and I'm sure it's past your bedtime in Japan…" Lelouch chided.

"Big brother…!" Nunally pouts over the phone. Lelouch chuckled at his sister's innocence. "Come back soon, big brother! I miss you!"

"Of course. I should be back in a couple weeks. Goodnight, Nuna." Lelouch hung up the phone. He was sporting a scar on his cheek, right below the right eye that was a rather good size.

It had come from the first operation when they had attacked Tripoli; he had gotten cocky and the cockpit was damaged by a heavy munitions shell, and a piece of shrapnel had slashed his cheek.

He had just come out of the most recent operation for the Ulster Project and hadn't changed out of his devicer uniform, and was currently in his Jonathan McKinley disguise. Lelouch ran his finger along the length of the scar. He was still trying to figure out how to explain that when he got back, but the best explanation he could come up with was that someone tried to mug him on the streets. For now, that would have to suffice.

Lelouch looked up at the docked frames and smirked. The flexibility of the Ulster frames had exceeded his expectations, as the test pilots took to them quite quickly; way faster than anticipated. Their output is similar to their Britannian-make counterparts, but due to their interfaces and control systems, the pilots are able to use every piece of equipment with greater finesse and efficiency than a Sutherland or Gloucester would allow. Not to mention the ability to easily swap out major components and weapons systems rather quickly, and you have machines that adapt to the battlefield, rather than having the pilot compensate for the lack of the correct equipment.

However, Lelouch frowned when he thought of the issues regarding the frames that he would have to address when given the opportunity and proper fabrication machinery. He could only fine tune the machines with pre-existing parts while out in the field like he is, and that only alleviates minor issues, if at all. He thought back to the heat that was generated by the landspinners, of all things. It turns out that his compact design was ill suited to the maneuvers that his prototype Cu Chullain and mass production Setanta will be performing. Their center of gravity is higher than that of other Knightmares, and that puts stress on the stability actuators located in the ankles of the frame, and when using the landspinners, that gets translated to even more heat, especially during extended periods of rapid and constant direction change. The motors tear overheat and seize up.

That issue is not present in the mass production Cu Chullain, most likely due to the fact that they are long range units that really are not meant to be dancing around opponents. Still, Lelouch would rather not have that become an issue, _ever_. Right now, all he can do is fashion some form of heat sink that will be placed in the offending areas. Having a landspinner motor seize up when going at combat speed is not pleasant, as the frame will fall over in some undignified way quite violently.

Lelouch shuddered at that experience… He still has the bruise on his forehead from when he clunked the console… Thankfully there was no concussion, as the medical staff would be curious as to why he was wearing a wig.

The other machines haven't gone unscathed either; in fact, one of the Setanta has the left arm of a Sutherland, and one of the Cu Chullain had to replace the linear cannons. Somehow, he managed to salvage the cannons off of a couple Panzer Hummels and retrofit them to work with the Cu Chullain's modular equipment. Lelouch was pleased with just _how_ adaptive they were; as one of the Setanta has both legs completely replaced with that of a destroyed Gloucester… He made a mental note to analyze the parts and adapt the technology to suit his own machines when he got back to Japan, as he was being allowed to keep all destroyed equipment that he picked up.

The best part of that deal is that the Britannian definition of destroyed is much different that Lelouch's definition… The Division under the command of Caldwell didn't have the time to repair disabled and/or heavily damaged frames, nor did they have the storage space to keep them… So Lelouch took what he wanted and dumped the rest. During his off-time after the maintenance of the Ulster frames was done, Lelouch had managed to slop together a Chimera of a Knightmare using Glasgow, Sutherland, Gloucester, and Panzer Hummel pieces. Pretty it ain't, but it was a result of a bored teenage boy who had access to really big toys.

Surprisingly, the Homunculus of a frame works. Once the kinks are worked out of it, he was even considering launching it with the Ulster frames during the final sortie. He'd need a pilot though… Someone who could keep a bipedal improvised knightmare with four 120mm cannons mounted on the back and shoulders from falling over when fired…

"Oh well. I'll ask the Caldwell later." Lelouch muttered to himself. "It shouldn't be THAT hard to find someone…"

Lelouch decided to pay the man a visit…

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General Normand Caldwell is a man who had seen a lot in his days… But the day that 'Jonathan McKinley' decided to reveal who he really was left him flabbergasted. Caldwell was a long-time supporter of Empress Marianne, him being of common birth himself. To have her son reveal himself to him was a huge shock and honor! When he'd asked about it, the exiled prince only responded with "I did some research. I can trust you with this knowledge." and then talked with him as if he didn't just reveal that he was a prince.

"Caldwell." Speak of the devil. "I have a request to make."

"Yes, Lelouch?" Caldwell responded, having been told that Lelouch disliked formality; something that Caldwell secretly enjoyed. "What can I do for you?"

"You've seen what I've been tinkering around with in my garage, haven't you?" Caldwell nods. "Well, it's operational and combat ready if the tests I want to perform pass my expectations. I need someone to pilot it; someone who can keep it from falling over after firing a full salvo."

"I'll see who's available at this moment…" Caldwell rolled his chair over to a monitor and scrolled through a list of off duty pilots. "Hmmm…. Let's try Gene Carradyne. He doesn't have a frame at the moment since his was demolished last week. Will that do?"

"Yes, it will. Send him down to the bay immediately, I would like to get these tests done with as soon as possible so I can see if I can make a pile of scrap into a viable weapon." Caldwell nodded and pressed the intercom and ordered Gene to the Knightmare bay.

"Thanks. This will leave me to collect data in freedom since I won't be distracted by the frame itself." Lelouch explained, putting on his wig. "I'm thankful that I don't need to keep up that accent anymore, since no one here has even heard an Irish accent to begin with… And if they did, they'll just assume I was born in Britannia."

"True."

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**MCC Knightmare Bay**

"So I'm supposed to pilot that pile of scrap…?" A brunette, dark skinned male asked. "Does it even work…?"

"I can assure you that it does…" McKinley answered, giving Gene a minature heart attack. "Mostly… I have no clue."

"Well _that's_ reassuring…" Gene deadpanned. "Oh, AND DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN…!"

"I'll keep that in mind." McKinley retorts, waving the young man's exclamation off casually. "Now let's get to work now, get in!"

Gene looked at the looming mismatched behemoth and sighed before riding his zipline up to the cockpit. Getting into his seat, the interior seemed comfortable enough: no light was streaming in through any cracks, no stray cords, everything seemed to be in order. He put the activation key into the slot and put in the code. Surprisingly, the system booted up rather quickly; the OS displaying SCATHACH across the screen. Soon, McKinley's voice came over the radio.

"I installed the SCATHACH system in the computer, as well as modifying the original software of a Cu Chullain to sustain a much larger frame like this one, as well as its weapons systems." McKinley explains. "You may not be used to it, but from what I've seen, you'll pick up on the OS really quickly."

"I guess… What next?"

"I'm going to pull back the restraints, and it will be standing all on its own, and I want you to tell me the status of the machine." In a couple seconds, the support gantry moved out of the way.

"Well, the screen with a diagram of a frame shows all green…"

"That's good. Now, I would like for you to have it exit the MCC and wait for my next directions." Gene nervously directed the frame forward at a slow speed. Lelouch stared incredulously at how timid the man was being with his machine. After a minute, Lelouch finally had enough. "It's not fragile, dammit! Stick a pepper up its tailpipe!"

Once again, Gene had a minor heart attack and as a result almost lost control. Regaining his bearings, he directed it at a more reasonable pace off the MCC. Bringing it to a stop, he wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, enable the Eraser System. You'll find a switch that turns the safety off for it." McKinley ordered. Gene quickly found the switch labeled ERASER SYSTEM written with a sharpie on a piece of duct tape. He hesitated for a second before tossing caution into the wind and flicking it. When he heard something whirring and a couple clanging noises, he tried to duck and cover, but ended up whacking his head on the console.

"Right. This is going to be the difficult part, since the Eraser system consists of four 120mm cannons, I'm not sure how the recoil is going to affect the frame." Gene paled. And his hands instantly recoiled from the controls.

"Uh… W-what will happen when I fire…?" Gene asked nervously. "A-and do I even wanna know…?"

"Hm…" McKinley paused, scaring Gene even more. "Several things could happen. The machine could twitch from the recoil, the whole chassis could topple over, the cannons could dislodge themselves from the frame, the machine could explode, it could tear the whole upper body from the legs, or absolutely nothing could happen."

"C-can I change my mind…?" Gene asked.

"Nope. The likelihood of the mentioned events happening is quite low, so I'd suggest doing what I say if you want to keep your job…" McKinley threatened. Gene wanted to cry right there, but resigned himself to his fate.

"Okay, I'll fire them…"

"Excellent. You should see a special reticule on your factsphere monitor that will allow you to aim more easily, as well as data from the SCATHACH system." Gene nodded in understanding, finding the interface easy to use. "I want you to destroy the targets I've placed around the area with the equipped weaponry. I'll tag along in my Cu Chullain."

"How will I find those targets?"

"With the SCATHACH, I can enter in the coordinates of any target and mark them on the tactical map and share the data with any and every machine that is connected to the network. I already have them entered into mine, so you should be receiving them shortly."

Sure enough, Gene noticed several blips on a satellite image map of the area and shifted the knightmare into combat mode.

"Laeg." McKinley said aloud.

"Eh…? What?"

"That's what I'll call it." He clarified. "Laeg was Cu Chullain's companion in the Ulster Cycle… I find it fitting."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

I'm pretty sure this chapter will raise a whole new set of questions… I'm not concerned about it though. Later!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Okeydokey, hurr's chapter 5... Not much else to add right here... Lelouch is being somewhat of a mad scientist right now, since supplies are limited. He also has an assload of parts to work with, since Caldwell is pretty much letting him play with what he wants. No, Caldwell hasn't been geassed. For Lelouch in canon, since he was lacking in many other areas, (namely the physical aspect of fighting 0.o;) his geass was a huge crutch. I plan to alleviate that in this fic with him being able to defend himself in a giant mechanical doom device, as well as make 'em.

Also, I know I skip around a lot, but that's to keep the plot going at a brisk pace, as well as keep more of the abilities of Lelouch's frames secret... Heheheheheheh...

Ad Libitum: Chapter 5

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**Someplace with an assload of sand:**

"Well, it seems the test was a success..." McKinley mutters to himself and Gene. The camera view pans out to the targets that he had placed earlier. On basic inspection, one can see the targets are completely intact. However, they are surrounded by massive craters that are just shy of damaging the thin pillar of rock holding them up.

"Buuuuut I think accuracy may be an issue..." Gene is in the fetal position, crying from the cockpit of the Laeg. "It's not your fault though... The shots are too erratic, despite there being four at a time..."

"Um... How are you going to fix that...?"

"Well, I'm going to spend some time playing in the pile of crap we got laying in Supply Hangar 3, that's for sure." McKinley answers. "You're off the hook until I can get those cannons firing more accurately. AS for the other armaments, those work perfectly. If anything, the Laeg can be used for suppressing fire, or walls."

"... Or remove that pesky mountain or two..." Gene mutters in a deadpan.

"Yes, that too. Anyway, once you've docked the Laeg, you're dismissed."

"Um, yes sir...!"

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**Lelouch's room**

"So, what can you tell me on the progress of the Mugain, Athirne, Deirdre, and Fedelm?" Lelouch asked over the monitor.

"Well, I can only do so much with my own money, dear brother, and I don't want to use all of the money you gave me for the project all at once." The bored face of Clovis spoke in response. "The Prismatic Distortion Field that you came up with for the Deirdre is proving to be a nuisance to perfect, despite the multiple theories and plans you've forwarded."

"As I suspected would be the case. Active camouflage is a difficult thing to do on large objects. As long as they can manage to keep the field up while moving, I'll be satisfied."

"Athirne and Fedelm are progressing smoothly, since you've provided all the calculations needed to alter the engine output to keep them afloat. The modified SCATHACH OS is really helping out progress as well."

"What about the g-forces that are expected to be present in the cockpit? Have you the results from any tests of that?"

Clovis grimaced slightly at that question.

"We'll be needing a specialized cockpit that dampens the g-forces, or only the most spectacularly conditioned pilots will be able to use them to their full specs."

"I'll get on that. I do have some pressing concerns regarding a new frame that I came up with recently, so that will take up some of my time."

"Oh? A new one? Pray tell, what is this one going to be used for?" Clovis asked. Lelouch chuckled.

"My test pilot for the Frankenstein version remarked that it could be used to clear the way of those pesky mountains." Lelouch explained, amused. "So expect it to be artillery. It isn't accurate enough for precision strikes, but is more than capable of blowing everything that's in the vicinity of the target to oblivion."

"I see. Do you wish to hear the progress of the Mugain?"

"I don't see why not. Even though the frame should be using current technologies, issues could come up, like the problems I've been having with the landspinners. I surmise the sand isn't helping the issue any either."

"Well, we have actually run into something: the output of the Yggdrasil Drive cannot sustain the two Chaladbolg blades that are built into the machine... Not for a reliable run time, anyway."

"Hm. Then make them into actual sword-like objects that can be used independently of each other, as well as reduce the output of the particle generators." Lelouch answers. He then looks pensive for a moment before sliding his chair over to the computer. "I'll send the plans for the Mazer vibration swords that I uh... 'Acquired'... From Project Camelot. Maybe those can give the engineers something to work off of."

"I'm not going to ask how you got those, nor do I really care, but if Schneizel gets wind of it, he'll most likely find out of your survival and link you to this whole project, and I really don't want to be in the middle of it all."

"No need to worry, Clovis. Things are goin-" BOOOM! "The hell...?"

"**This is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill. We are under attack by enemy forces."**

"Shit..." Another explosion rocks the MCC, making the communication fuzz for a second.

"**Red alert! Evacuate the MCC immediately. Structural integrity is below 65%. Repeat-"**

"That's no good..." Lelouch mutters angrily. "Clovis, we're going to have to cut this short. I'm going to have to cut the feed and upload all the pertinent data right now!"

Lelouch cut the feed, ignoring his elder half-brother's protests, initiating the program that will transmit all of the data to the main satellite automatically. Once it was done, he wiped the computer of all data and sent out the order to suit up to all of the Ulster Project pilots. He was about to rush out of the room when he spotted the contact lenses and the wig, but shook his head.

"No time for that."

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**Hallways**

"Alright maggots! Get in, get in, get in! Let's go go go!"

"Where's the Major?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"That first shot hit the command room! He's dead!"

"Shit! What are we supposed to do?"

This was the scene that Lelouch saw as he ran to the bay where his frame was kept. Yes, Lelouch was _running_. When in danger or a sense of urgency is currently present (in this case, both), he can run. And run he did; just not all that far.

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**Outside the MCC, several minutes later**

The Cu Chullain A (as the soldiers have taken to referring to Lelouch's personal frame by) blew the stuck hangar doors off their hinges when they wouldn't open, skirting out a second after. He spared a quick glance at the Command Screen, taking note of the Ulster frames that had already powered up and placing navigation points for them to follow on exiting the MCC. He looked up just in time to slip out of the way of a small bombardment from 3:00.

He had noticed that the EU has been upgrading their frames in recent, as the Panzer Hummels were much more suited for fighting Britannian made frames instead of their usual foes, whatever those were. Lelouch had taken to classifying them as Panzer-Hummel MKII, as even their appearance had changed slightly. What was unnerving though was the report of two new frames that Italy and the Ottoman Empire were deploying, the Hastati and Kataphraktoi respectively. Lelouch had even heard rumors about the Italian Praetorian, a Sixth Gen frame that could easily outclass all of his mass produced frames! On a whim, he had never shared those things with Clovis, since it wouldn't have made a difference at the time.

Back to his own situation, he grimaced as he spotted several Machimoi Hoplites in a Phalanx formation about one kilometer away, advancing slowly. The Egyptian make frame was quite new, and ponderous in their movements, due to the massive amounts of armor and the IBLIS shields that make them so effective when in the Phalanx formation.

"Pity that Brittannia never quite embraced the whole teamwork aspect until I brought it up... And even now, it may not even survive..." Lelouch muttered. "Gene, is the Laeg ready yet? I need you to remove some obstacles."

"Not yet, sir, but I'm working on it!"

Lelouch was about to reply when he spotted a formation of five Hastati, not that dissimilar to the battle formations of the Ancient Roman Hastati. The design of the frame was similar to how the pre-legionnaire Roman soldiers performed; a large shield called a scutum, a portable rocket launcher that emulated the pilae thrown before a charge, and the close up blade that resembled a gladius. He did note that a gun was mounted into the shield so it could fire when under cover.

From the reports that Lelouch read over, they were quick, and utilized fast blitz tactics; charging at full speed at a battle line, shield covering the majority of the body and firing the few rockets that were loaded in the shoulder mounted rocket launcher. They also had minor thrusters mounted on the back that allowed them to gain a small amount of altitude and fall on their targets with their gladii, striking the upper armor much more easily; or just vaulting over the enemy line entirely and spinning in place to fire a couple rounds into the back of their enemies.

Lelouch filed that information away as the Ulster frames moved into their formations; three Cu Chullains were squatting on the ridge nearby, awaiting orders to fire. The last Cu Chullain was one hundred meters away, flanked by two Setanta, the same as himself. Last but not least, Gene had just hauled the Laeg into position three hundred meters behind him. All the while, assorted Sutherlands and Glasgows were running amok in a disorganized manner, not really effective for anything more than a distraction. Deciding that the Hastati were the main threat at this particular moment, Lelouch gave the order for the trio on the ridge to fire a salvo of their auxiliary weapons at the Hastati. The two formations on the ground moved into a pincer formation. Lelouch cleared another salvo to be fired and gave the other Cu Chullain the order to fire the Gae Bolg for two seconds the moment the last shot had impacted on the ground, ten meters behind the blast zone of the barrage. Lelouch himself would be firing ten meters in front of the barrage.

Once the Gae Bolgs had been fired, the Setanta charged in, rotating around each other. They cut down the two Hastati that had survived the bombardment, even with the massive amount of dust flying through the air; the advanced sensor arrays of the Cu Chullains on the field providing the raw data needed for them to locate the exact position to attack. Lelouch smiled, and brought up the com link to Gene and the Laeg.

"Okay Gene, the Hastati are taken care of. Go and bombard the Machimoi phalanx now, slow them down. Damage the terrain as well." Lelouch ordered. Gene gave a short affirmative and set about his task. "The rest of you, secure the area and protect the hangar areas. We'll need the energy fillers if we are to make it out of here."

"Would you like for us to conserve energy?" The pilot of one of the Cu Chullains asked.

"Yes, keep from firing any Gae Bolg shots unless I ask you to. The particle generators on the mass produced models aren't as efficient as the ones in mine, so I don't need to worry as much." He answered. "I want for all of you to pair up with your counterparts and provide support for each other. Run program 003 for guidance."

The soldiers gave their affirmatives and set about their tasks as well. The combat programs that Lelouch came up with add secondary objectives to the pilot's heads up display monitor, such as keeping a formation with team members and suggested routes of attack on a target based on information stored in the SCATHACH mainframe. It will also automatically run all associated macros that are assigned to the program. For example, in 003, a Setanta is linked up with one or more distant Cu Chullain, and all data that is acquired in battle is immediately shared between those frames before anyone else. The distant Cu Chullain deactivates its radar and sensor array, instead relying on the advanced Setanta for targeting coordinates and other pertinent information. The reason for this being that with all of its electronics systems disabled, it's much harder to detect with most kinds of sensors, allowing for surprise bombardments from the machine, the most effective being a wall of Gae Bolg blasts.

Lelouch planned to add more programs when he had the time, and after the newer frames were completed.

"_Now is not the time to ponder on the future of the Ulster Project though, but rather my own..."_ He thought. Lelouch rolled his neck and skirted out into the open battlefield to wreak some havok on the opposing forces. All other thoughts mattered no longer. When the battle ended, _**then**_ he could spend time lost in his musings.

Setting his sights on a Panzer formation, Lelouch poured more energy into the throttle, twitching the controls now and then to dodge the incoming shells. He had a close call when he barely dodged out of the way of a point blank shot by using the auxiliary thrusters on his back. Not skipping a beat though, he did a nimble pirouette and with the particle blade, stabbed into the back of the machine and drug the blade horizontally a couple meters before retracting it and performing a spin kick on another target.

The first Panzer Hummel exploded without an afterthought, and the second one was knocked down. Lelouch focused his attention on a foe that had managed to get a bead on his frame. Not planning on letting that happen, Lelouch squeezed out a short Gae Bolg blast, melting the offending frame's frontal armor and local cannons easily. Quickly, he aimed the auto cannons mounted into the left forearm at the crotch region of the knocked down panzer from earlier. It took few shots to disable the region, ensuring that the frame wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, especially since he saw the pilot eject seconds after the fact.

With the squad taken care of, Lelouch toned down his power consumption and casually scooted to Gene's location to see what the progress was with the Machimoi. On arriving, he saw what appeared to be a sort of moonscape, as the accuracy of the Laeg left quite a bit to be desired. Lelouch noted though that the craters formed were significant enough to force the phalanx to go around, lest their formation be broken.

The Machimoi was an offensively weak machine, especially when taking mobility into account. That does not mean that they aren't dangerous, as the IBLIS shields that they use project a local energy shield that was similar to what he saw on the Lancelot. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a threat, but when they get into the phalanx formation, the area and intensity of the IBLIS energy shielding increases, making the task of stopping them that much harder. What was a nuisance though was the fact that the shield allowed for special rounds to pass through, and that the Machimoi's primary gun fired those rounds. Again, the rounds aren't particularly damaging, but with the tactics of the phalanx, the weakness was outweighed by the strengths. He noticed that the coverage of the energy shield wasn't 100%, as the back was unprotected from direct fire.

Deciding to hunker down, Lelouch gave the order to Gene to somehow expose the backs of the phalanx to him. Gene grinned cheekily and started landscaping the area happily. It didn't take long for him to force the Machimoi to expose their rear flank. Lelouch quickly powered up the Gae Bolg cannons for a longer lasting shot, and let the twin streams out, sweeping the formation off the face of the planet in a spectacular display of power.

"Sir, couldn't the Gae Bolg have overpowered the shields?" Gene asked, once the dust started settling.

"Yes, it's obviously feasible, but would take too long to do so and they would have opened fire long enough to take me out." Lelouch explained. "I also don't want to waste all the energy used in the shot that is fighting the shields."

"Oh... Okay then."

"Hm. It seems that the enemy has been destroyed, or routed if anything. Let's regroup and gather up all the survivors and take inventory of the supplies we have."

"Yes sir!" Was the audible response over the com link. Lelouch deactivated combat mode and leaned back in the seat, uttering a weary and exhausted sigh.

"Well, this makes things a bit more difficult."

**TBC!**

A while back, someone wondered how I could make a plausible enemy for the Ulster frames. Well, look no further! (Seriously, they were mentioned ABOVE)

And in their designs, I reflected on the armies from a similar time period in ancient history and used their basic concepts and the way they were utilized as the basis for the designs of these.

The Hastati were the younger, more inexperienced soldiers of Rome before the reforms of Gaius Marius which led to the formation of the Legionnaire concept. They fought most often in the Quincunx. You can look up the specifics at your own leisure, as I'm summarizing a whole hell of a lot.

The Machimoi were the warrior class of Ptolemaic Egypt of the same time period, and they often used the Phalanx formations with hoplite soldiers. A hoplite is named for the shield that they carry, the hoplon. A good comparison would be a Spartan soldier. They're hoplites. In the movie 300™, they use a phalanx-like formation in the best way possible: on flat ground with no possible way to be flanked from the sides.

Kataphrakt means armor in greek, so a Kataphraktoi is an armored soldier. Kataphraktoi are eastern horsemen that were heavily armored from head to toe in heavy mail, along with their horses which were covered from head to hoof in scale mail. I'm pretty sure that you can figure out how they'll be used in this fic as a frame... Heheheheh.

And lastly, the Praetorians were the elite guard of the Roman Legions. They were virtually unmatched by any other soldier, but were phased out due to several idiotic reasons by some Roman Emperors. It's complicated, but you can look it up sometime. Praetorians fight more or less the same way as the Hastati did, but were much more elite since the training is much, much harsher. They also wore (like all legionnaires) the armor called _lorica segmenta_. You can always recognize the roman legions by that armor. Instead of a gladius though, they used a spatha, which can be compared to the longsword, broadsword, or arming swords of the medieval period.

A little information on the Hastati's armor (The frame): they aren't armored all that much. They use speed and their huge shields to not get damaged. The Praetorian is a more expensive unit, so being able to manage larger hunks of armor and still maintain the speed isn't really an issue. They also have more ammunition for their rocket launchers.

Anyway, now that the lecture is over and done with, read (hopefully you already did... -_-;) and review! I have a psychosomatic response to reviews that makes me crave more, so I update faster! Nyah!

Peace and pocky!


	6. Chapter 6

Alrighty. Looks like I gots my first flame! EVER! Epic_Fail doesn't really count since he's just butt hurt from when I insulted his 'review' of another story.

Now, time to tear you apart! Hehehehehehehe...

So... Emphasis on OCs, eh? Well... In fics like these, there are numerous un-named OCs that usually end up as mostly filler in battles. When there's nobody to direct, it's no longer a war; it's just a duel. (For the most part. You get what I mean, right?)

Also... On caring about the OCs that seemingly fill my story to the brim, and trying to make the reader care about them... Bull. Hell, the only reason Caldwell was around was to give plausibility to the whole situation. AND he only has what, 12 lines? And I killed him off last chapter in probably the most pathetic way to go. "Oh yeah, the Major? He done dead." "How...?" "Iunno. First bullet?" "Wow."

Then there's Gene. He's... Not really all that important. Kind of a pussy, really. I just felt I had to give a regular person's (cough cough) perspective on Lelouch/McKinley's actions.

BTW, for those of you with only 6 synapses firing at any given moment of the day, McKinley IS Lelouch. Also, for those who were whining (sorta) about Lelouch telling Caldwell about his identity; it's really not a problem anymore, now is it? I was already planning on killing the guy off, without your input on the subject.

AND continuing on some more, yeah, I know you guys are sick of Africa, and want Lelouch to go back to Japan (as well as the rest of the canon-ness.). It'll happen. In two chapters, including this one.

Next, I'm going to post the general specs of the frames that'll be seen in the next few chapters (That I came up with). In your reviews, I want to hear what you guys think of them; based on historical references, regional references, design, armament, and whatever else you can think of. The reason I came up with these was to give the EU a fighting chance.

"MK_-Sama! Why are most of them from Italy, and named after several different types of Roman Soldiers?"

Cuz I been playing the hell outta Rome: Total War lately and it's fitting, in my opinion.

Hastati:

Description: Appearance is similar to a Glasgow, body-wise, with a larger backpack. Head is smaller, less resembling a squarish watermelon. Has high intensity/short length thrusters on its backpack for short, quick maneuvers like 180 degree turns, dodges, and jumping. Used best in blitz styled attacks due to their light armor, speed, huge shields, and little heavy weapons ammunition.

Nation: Italy

Generation: Fifth

Armament: Scutum Tower Shield x1

Scutari gun x1

Pilum Heavy Rocket Launcher x1

Gladius x1

Slash Harken x2

Inspired By: Roman Hastati Legionnaires

Machimoi:

Description: A bulky, ponderous frame that is hunched and resembles a misshapen block with arms and legs. Designed as the exact opposite to the Italian Hastati, and involves an entirely different tactic to use. Their Aspis shields project an energy shield that can link with nearby energy shields to increase protection capability. They have low powered guns that fire specifically designed bullets that can pass through this field without problem. Despite their appearance, they are not as heavily armored as they seem; most of their bulk is due to their extra energy fillers to power their energy shielding.

Nation: Egypt

Generation: Fifth

Armament: Aspis Energy Projection shield x1

Energy Distortion Gun x1

Slash Harken x2

Inspired By: Hellenic Hoplite Phalanxes and Machimoi warrior class of Ptolemaic Egypt

Kataphractoi:

Description: A moderately quick, heavily armored frame designed for filling the roles that the Hastati and Machimoi cannot fill. It doesn't have the staying power of a Machimoi, but has the close range ability to reinforce a Hastati Quincux that has depleted its offensive capability. Armor is designed to fragment when hit with armor piercing rounds.

Nation: Ottoman Empire

Generation: Fifth

Armament: 50mm Autocannon x2

Xiston x1

Slash Harken x3

Inspired By: Persian heavy cavalry

Praetorian:

Description: A modified version of the Hastati, resembling a Gloucester (kinda) with the Imperial Italic G styled Galea worn by Roman Legionnaire Officers (especially the Praetorian Guard) over two thousand years ago (The helmet with the deck brush thing). Used as a commander unit or an Ace unit, it has possession of a smaller rocket launcher that carries much more ammunition than its predecessor. Instead of the Gladius, a Spatha (or Gladii Major, whichever denotation you prefer, ya damn historians!) is present along with a Pugio. The Scutum is modified to contain a version of the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous system that increases the staying power of the shield in the face of heavier munitions. The gun mounted into the Scutum is also of higher caliber with a higher firing rate. Overall, this frame is armed to the teeth with weapons, and is very well suited to longer battles. Later on, replaces the Hastati as the primary Italian frame, like the Sutherland replaced the Glasgow, and the Gareth replacing the Gloucester. (Note that the Gareth is the mass produced version of the Gawain.)

Nation: Italy

Generation: Sixth

Armament: Spatha Longsword x1

Pugio Dagger x1

Luce Scutum x1

Plumbata Assault Rifle x1

Heavy Scutari Gun x1

Velutum Rocket Launcher x1

Slash Harken x4

Inspired by: Roman Praetorian Cohort Legionnaires

Princep:

Description: A Hastati that has stronger armor and a backup melee weapon.

Nation: Italy

Generation: Fifth

Armament: Scutum Tower Shield x1

Scutari gun x1

Pilum Heavy Rocket Launcher x1

Gladius x1

Pugio x1

Slash Harken x2

Inspired By: Roman Princep Legionnaires

Triarii:

Description: A version of the Hastati that has the rocket launcher system removed totally, dual shoulder mounted auto cannons, heavier armor and a spear.

Nation: Italy

Generation: Fifth

Armament: Scutum Tower Shield x1

Scutari gun x1

Arcus Autocannon x2

Hasta x1

Slash Harken x4

Inspired By: Roman Triarii Legionnaires

For some historical reference:

Pugio: Roman dagger

Gladius: Roman short sword

Spatha: Roman Longsword

Verutum: Roman Javelin

Pilum: Roman Heavy Javelin

Hasta: Roman Thrusting Spear

Arcus: Roman Bow

Xiston: Macedonian/Diadochi Successor States cavalry spear

Aspis: Greek Hoplite round shield

Plumbata: Roman Lead Weighted Darts

Galea: Roman Helmet

Lorica Segmentata: Roman "Segmented Plate" armor

Whew, that's quite a bit, eh? Sorry for the long-ass AN. It had to be done.

Code Geass: Ad Libitum Chapter 6

8888888888888888888888888888

Libyan Deserts

It has been seven days since Lelouch had fled the MCC along with the rest of the soldiers. There was a squabble on who was to be the leader, and Lelouch was nominated by the test pilots and many of the Knights whom witnessed Lelouch's tactics and skills earlier. Of course, they referred to him as Sir McKinley, despite the lack of having an actual Knight's title. The rest went with their choice.

After running inventory of working frames, as well as salvaged frames, Lelouch and his squad of mechanics went to work retrofitting what they could to proceed. Lelouch managed to recover and repair fifteen Hastati that had minimal damage, as well as eight Machimoi that had avoided being turned to slag by the Cu Chullains. The Setanta and Cu Chullains were subjected to repairs as well, while the personnel that stayed with Lelouch worked on procuring trucks to carry the energy fillers that will be needed to keep the frames going, as well as supplies and the like.

Before they left, Lelouch decided on a whim to paint the captured frames with the colors of the division: White, with his own personal touches here and there. (Mainly involving black stripes at specific places.) He did the same with the black on the Ulster frames and the remaining Britannian frames. Nobody complained since they thought the changes made the frames look more regal and it would help keep allied frames from attacking the salvaged frames.

That was four days ago.

Lelouch was going over the documents that he grabbed from Caldwell's office. Apparently, they were to go take Tunis from the Italian forces that had taken it. In the orders were some pictures of modified Hastati, as well as a frame that resembled an ancient Roman Legionnaire. The shoulders even resembled the pauldrons of the Lorica Segmentata that was worn by them. To make matters worse, Lelouch even saw a report that France was getting in on the knightmare bandwagon with the Paladin.

"That could be a problem... With France getting in on the action, Britannia's sheer numbers and skill won't mean a thing..." Lelouch mused. "Well, I suppose it works in my favor as long as the EU stays ahead of Brittania in tactics and technology..."

Lelouch grimaced and pulled the left contact out of his eye and rubbed it.

"Good thing that these survived the whole ordeal... Purple isn't a very common color in Britannia, and someone could draw conclusions pretty quickly if they saw me, since the wig didn't survive... I just wish that they weren't so bloody itchy!"

Lelouch's wig did not survive the assault unscathed. It was half burnt when he found it, so it was abandoned. Lelouch did use the excuse of a large amount of oil getting in his hair though, (to account for his suddenly dark and smooth hair) and that seemed to work. In fact, he actually did get some in there.

"Hm... I wonder what will happen once I hook up with another unit... And how am I going to explain this absence?" Lelouch asked himself for the hundred-thousandth time that day. "And what will happen to the salvaged frames...? I only hope I can use the political clout that Clovis has and claim at least one of each... That Praetorian would certainly be nice..."

Japan/ Area 11

"Kallen! Did you see the news report?" A frantic Ohgi shouted. Kallen couldn't say no, so she just shook her head tentatively. "It's that frame that saved us back in the ghetto!"

Ohgi flipped on the news video that he recorded showing the battle near Tripolo, the first official battle of the production Ulster frames.

"We're here in Libya, part of the North African Union. Today marks the day that Britannia unleashes a new storm of our superiority on all who oppose us." A reporter began. "A small force of nine new frames attacked and wiped out the African forces with little support from the regular forces. We have a clip recorded by an enemy soldier that was found and shows the power that these frames have. Let's take a look..."

"Only nine frames...? Damn. And those Panzer Hummels are no pushover at long range..." Yoshida whistles.

The clip is from the vantage point of a tower, and it pans over to a white frame vaulting onto the wall and opening fire with white/blue beams from its shoulders on a trio of Panzer Hummels, eliminating them instantly. The frame then hops off the wall and skirts out of sight.

"Qu'est-ce l'enfer? Britannia attaque!" Was heard from the cameraman. (In the CG universe, I'm assuming that France had managed to colonize many more African nations than in real life, so let's go with it, oui?) "Les cadres... Une telle brutalité...!"

"Hey! That's the frame that saved us! What the hell!" Tamaki shouted. Kallen whapped him upside the head without looking away from the screen.

The cameraman was frantically looking around for (they don't really know this) Lelouch and his Cu Chullain when an explosion to his left knocked him down. When he got up, he saw that the wall had been breached by four frames similar to the last, using the same weapons system.

"Le mur! Ils ont détruit le mur!" (I'll throw in the translations at the end of the chapter.)

Within a couple seconds, four additional frames (the Setantas) raced through the breach, quickly taking cover. It wasn't long before the forces garrisoned in the city were on high alert, and firing down the streets. Two of the Cu Chullains fired a salvo of missiles from their positions behind the wall, over it _and_ the buildings, striking at several Panzers that were blocking the street. The Setantas left their cover; one on each side of the street scaling a building with its slash harkens and the other two bound on the ground stuck a potato in their tailpipes and booked it to the next street intersection under the cover of the explosions and dust.

"Wow, they're coordinated..." Minami noted. The others nodded in agreement, besides Kallen whom was fascinated by the frames themselves.

The video feed cut out there, making Kallen pout.

"The locals have been referring to the frames as 'Les bêtes d'argent', or 'The Silver Beasts' since the battle which took place more than a week ago. Princess Cornelia declined to comment on th-"

"Damn...! Britannia has another edge against us...!" Tamaki fumed, after Ohgi turned the TV off. "What the hell are we going to do about those things?"

"I'm confused... Why did that voice use that frame against Clovis in the ghetto...? I mean, there it was, clearly fighting for Britannia against the NAU right there. It doesn't make sense..." Ohgi said, running his hand through his curly hair.

"Well, it's not something we should worry too much about right now..." Inoue says. "I mean, haven't you heard about the EU and its new frames...?"

"I guess so... We'll just have to wait and see what happens..." Ohgi sighs.

"Maybe... Or you can do something about it... A preemptive strike of sorts..."

"What the hell?" Everyone shouts in different iterations. The newcomer was a woman with ass-length green hair and golden eyes that seemed to bore into your soul... And not in the good way either.

"Now that's rude... Is that how you treat people who wish to help you...?" The woman spoke, seemingly disinterested.

"First off, who are you? And just HOW did you get in here without anyone knowing? ...Wait, how'd you even FIND us?" Kallen shouted, pointing. The green haired woman just examined a long strand of her green hair with that same disinterested face from before. However, she had set a monitor on the table and turned it on, it revealing a masked figure. It was an ancient Greek or Roman mask, white in color. It was neutral in expression. A mop of black hair could be seen behind it, as well as what appeared to be the inside of a cockpit.

"Well, it seems that the Japanese have lost their manners over the years... Pity." The masked figure said.

"It's that voice! The one from Shinjuku...!" Kallen gasps.

"Indeed. This woman is C.C." Said woman did a half-assed curtsy. "Ignore her... Quirks... Her capabilities make up for them."

"So, what do you want?" Ohgi finally asked. "Obviously you plan to help us. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking and we'd either be dead or in prison right now."

"Correct. I am here to help. Not physically at this time, hence the communiqué, but we know what is meant." The masked man said.

"Fine." Ohgi said. The others looked at him in shock, but Ohgi shook his head. "Look, if he was resourceful enough to find us, and he's in control of those frames that we saw on the news clip, then we'll have gained a valuable ally..."

"Oh? That was on the news already? Curious..." The masked man asked offhandedly.

"I want to know something though... Why are you fighting under Britannia's orders?" Ohgi asked. "It doesn't make any sense to aid us if you already work for them..."

"That is true. However, I am in Africa on my own agenda, and capturing these cities serves to ignite the fighting spirit of the EU, furthering their own knightmare R&D, as well as mine. I did not wish to test my frames against an already well-known powerhouse such as Britannia and not be able to pull back and nurse my wounds." The masked man began. "Britannia underestimates the potential of the EU and therefore sends a small enough force that if the EU was to retaliate with their full technology, the Empire's occupational forces would be decimated."

"But the EU's armies pale in comparison to Britannia's...! How can they repel Britannia this way?" Kallen asks before realization dawning on her features. "Oh... I see what you mean... I think."

"You are intelligent, miss. Yes, I am fighting the EU right now to test my frames out on an opponent that I know will not annihilate me even if I lose, since Britannian forces are not far behind. However, due to my presence, Britannia has lessened their presence in my operational area. This means that after I leave, in their arrogance, they will leave only what little forces they have at the present already located there, instead of reinforcing their garrisons. This will leave a chink in their proverbial armor: the occupied Northern African countries. It is fortuitous that my location is near the biggest threat to Britannia, Italy."

"Huh. Makes sense. Um, what do we call you...?" Ohgi asks. "I mean, if you're wearing that mask, you obviously didn't plan to tell us your REAL name, right?"

The figure looks pensive for a moment.

"Hm. You may refer to me as Zero."

TBC!

AN: OMG! Carmen Sandiego has been found! (nods to reviewer who said that)

Translations*:

Qu'est-ce l'enfer? Britannia attaque! : What the hell? Britannia is attacking!

Les cadres... Une telle brutalité...! : The frames... Such brutality...!

Le mur! Ils ont détruit le mur! : The wall! They destroyed the wall!

*These were provided by Google, so I disown any real responsibility for getting them wrong in my ignorance.

Welp, read and review folks! The reviews are the fuel that makes me give a damn! Oh! And flames will be used to boil water in Haiti, in lieu of the spread of Cholera. Those guys have it bad down there... Support them how you can!


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